The Scratch – D.I.Y. (Ponyland Records)
Originally released in 2003, The Scratch’s D.I.Y. album looks older - more like a punk record that’s been lifted straight from that classic ’77-79 period, just before post-punk brought in the experimentalists and US hardcore rewrote the rules. Track titles like “I Relax To Spiral Scratch” and “X-Ray Eyes” don’t help, but get past the presentation and there’s a seriously good power pop / new wave record here trying to get out. Retro in feel, rather than slavishly derivative, D.I.Y. is certainly on nodding terms with the first wave of punk, but it draws from a host of other influences, too. The fore-mentioned “X-Ray Eyes” employs beats and acoustic guitars, and would feel equally at home alongside Sandinista period Clash or mid-phase Happy Mondays. “Rotten Soul” might well have crawled out of a ‘60s garage, dazed and confused, and “Back To Ten” is almost gentle. If any of this sounds interesting, be careful not to miss out this time.
www.myspace.com/thescratch

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